Safety-gate for bridges.



G. FAUST. T 1

SAFETY GATE FOR BRIDGES.

APPLIOATIONHLED MAY 12, 1911.

' Patented Jan. 30, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G. PAUST.

SAFETY GATE TOR BRIDGES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1911. 1,015, 0, PatentedJan. 30, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CASPER FAUST, 0F OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN.

SAFETY-GATE FOR BRIDGES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 12, 1911.

Patented Jan. 30,1912.

Serial No. 626,671.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CASPER FAUST, a.-,c-itizen of the United States, and resident of Oshkosh, in the county of Winnebago and State of WVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety- Gates for Bridges; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a simple and effective safety gate attachment for swinging bridges such as shown in a patent issued to me November 1st, 1910, No. 974,558, specific objects being to provide a weight-power mechanism in connection with an actuating gear, all being disposed under the bridge abutment whereby the gates are closed when the bridge is opened; to provide curved cam-rails in con nection with a bridge-actuating gear whereby the gates are opened incidental to the bridge being closed; to provide a springcontrolled tappet roller for engagement with the curved cam-rails whereby shock incidental to engagement thereof is eliminated; to provide anti-friction hangers having camrails and their connections, and also to provide a spring connection between the gates and their pivot posts to permit a limited yield of the gates incidental to shock caused by accidental contact therewith when they are closed or partially closed.

With the above objects in view the invention consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts as hereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed. 7

In the drawings Figure 1 represents an inverted plan view of a portion of one end of a swinging bridge and its abutment having attached thereto safety gate mechanism embodying the features of my invention; Fig. 2, a longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus, the section being indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a detail cross-section of the abutment, the section being indicated by line 3-3 of Fig. 1, said view illustrating the gates in their closed position; Fig. 4, a detail cross-section of the plungerrod and its anti-friction bearing-block, the section being indicated by line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a detail sectional view of a camrail and its link connection with abridge abutment, and Fig. 6, a detail sectional view of a yielding spring hanger connection between the gate and its pivot-post.

Referring by characters to the drawings 1 represents the end of a swinging bridge and 2 the abutment, the bridge being shown in its closed position in Figs. 1 and 2. Secured to the bridge 1 is a roller tappet 3 which tappet is mounted in the forked end of a stem 3, the stem being reciprocatively mounted in a bracket 3", which bracket, in turn, is secured to a block that projects from the lower face of the bridge. The forward end of the stem 3 is provided with a pin 4 that is engaged by one end of a coiled spring 4 which coiled spring surrounds the stem with its opposite end abutting an ear of the bracket 3", the coiled spring serving to hold the tappet roller in its forward position. The tappet-roller is arranged to engage the curved faces of oppositely disposed camrails 5, 5, which cam-rails have their outer ends connected to the abutment by links 6, the same being mounted in cars of the camrails and ears 7 of brackets, which are, in turn, secured to a cross-timber A of the bridge abutment. The inner ends of the cam-rails are in hinge connection with each other, the pintle-bolt of the hinge connection being also passed through ears of a plunger-bar 8 whereby said cam-rails are supported at their joint.

The forward end of the plunger-bar is guided between anti-friction rollers 9 and a bottom roller 10, all of which rollers are mounted in a bracket 10 that is also secured to the abutment cross-timber. The rear end of the plunger-bar is provided with a toothed rack-section 8 which is in meshed engagement with a pinion 11, the bar being guided at this end by an L-shaped strap 12 which is secured to an abutment cross-timber B. Movement of the plunger-rod in either direction is limited by lugs 12, 12", that extend therefrom and are adapted to engage opposite faces of the strap 12. The plunger-bar is normally held forward in the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1 by a weight 13, which weight is suspended from a cable 13 that passes over a pulley let, the latter being mounted in a hanger 14 that is secured to the abutment. The opposite end of the cable is connectedto a lug 13 that extends from the plunger-bar and when the bridge is swung to its open position causing the tappet roller to'travel free of the t to said bridge.

cam-tracks, the said weight will thus draw the plunger-bar forward, which movement will cause a pair of gates C, C, to swing across the abutment and close the approach This movement is efiected through movement of a crank-pin 15 that extends from an arm 16, which arm is connected to the pinion 11 through an arbor 17, which arbor is rotatably mounted in the abutment cross-timber B, the pinion and crank-pin being thus secured to constitute a single member.

While I have shown the arbor as being fast to the pinion, it is obvious that the same may be fixed and that the crank-pin 15 and its arm 16, together with the pinion may be arranged to rotate upon the arbor, in which instance the latter would be fixed.

Alinecl with the axis of the pinion upon opposite sides thereof are pivot-posts 18, which posts are suitably journaled in the abutment and extend therethrough for the purpose of supporting the gates G and C. Each pivot-post has secured to its lower end a crank-arm 19, the crank-arm of one pivotpost set parallel with the crank-pin arm 16 of the pinion 11, the other crank-arm being set upon the opposite side of an imaginary line intersecting the axes of the pinion and pivot-posts. Each crank-arm 19 is connected to the crank-pin 15 by a pitman 520, the pitmen being formed in two sections that are connected by turn-buckles 21 whereby they may be adjusted as to length.

The gates C, C are secured to their pivotposts 18 by leaf-spring connections 22, whereby a slight yield of the gate is permitted independent of any movement of said pivot-post. This yield is desirable when the gates are subjected to sudden shock when closed in order that the parts may not be broken or otherwise injured. The pivot-posts are also provided with toothed gear-wheels 23 which are meshed with similar gear-wheels 28, the latter being secured to pivot-posts 24 which carry sidewalk gates 25. The gear-wheels are suitably inclosed in housings 26 that have standards 27 extending therefrom, which standards terminate with apertured ears for the reception of the upper ends of the pivotposts 18 and 2 1. By this arrangement when the road gates are swung to their closed position the gear connection between the sidewalk gates will cause the same to swing in the opposite direction and thus effectually out off the approach to the bridge, the sidewalk and road gates being arranged to fold backward when the bridge is closed, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that when the bridge is swung to its closed position from either direction, the tappet roller will engage either one of the curved cam-tracks 5 and after a slight yield due to the spring connection of said tappet the cam-tracks will be forced backwardly to the position shown in Fig. 1, in opposition to the weight-controlled plunger-bar 13. iVhen the cam'tracks are forced back- Ward it will be observed that their ends which are in link connection with the abutment will have a slight movement, which movement is taken up by said links. Incidental to backward thrust of the plungerbar the gear connection comprising the rack and pinion will cause a rotation of the latter, which rotation, in turn, will be imparted to the pivot-post whereby the road-gates and sidewalk gates will be folded back to permit free access to the bridge. Vhen the bridge is swung to its open position the weight 13 will cause the gates to swing across the roadway and sidewalk to the position indicated and in swinging to this position it will be observed that the crank-pin 15 will move across the center of an imaginary line intersecting the axes of the pinion and ends of the crank-arms whereby the pitmen will automatically lock in such position that the gates cannot be forcibly opened from above until such time as their gear connection under the abutment is op erated through closure of the bridge. Particular attention is also called to the antifriction forward bearing of the plunger-rod whereby its weight and side thrust incidental to movement imparted thereto will not cause any binding and thus the entire mechanism will move with the least possible friction.

I claim:

1. In a swinging bridge having a tappet adjacent to its end, and an abutment with which the bridge is adapted to register; the combination of a reciprocative rackcarrying weight-controlled plunger-bar mounted beneath the abutment, a single pinion in meshed engagement with the plungerbar, a crank-arm carried by the pinion, opposite pivot-posts journaled in the abutment, a gate secured to each post above the abutment, a crank-arm secured to the lower end of each pivot-post, to extend upon opposite sides of a line intersecting the axes of the pinion and pivot-posts, the crank-arm of which pinion is disposed parallel to that of one of the pivot-post crankarms, pitmen connecting said pivot-post crank-arms and the pinion crank-arm, cam-rails having their outer ends fulcrumed to the abutment, their inner ends being in hinge connection with the plunger-bar arranged to be engaged by the tappet whereby the plungerbar is actuated in opposition to its weightcontrol to open the gates incidental to swinging of the bridge to its closed position.

2. A swinging bridge comprising a spring-controlled tappet disposed adjacent to its end, an abutment with which the bridge is adapted to register, a reciprocative rack-carrying plunger, a weight in cable connection with the plunger whereby the same is moved in one direction, a single pinion in meshed engagement with the rack port-ion of the plunger, a crank-arm carried by the pinion, oppositely disposed pivot-posts journaled in the abutment, a gate in yielding connection with each post, a crankarm secured to the lower end of each pivot-post, the crank-arms being extended upon opposite sides of a line intersecting the pinion and pivot-post axes, the crank-arm of the aforesaid pinion being disposed parallel to one of the pivot-postcrank-arms,. pitmen connecting said pivotpost crank-arms and the pinion crank-arm, cam-rails having their inner ends in hinge connection with the plunger-bar, links connecting the outer ends of the cam-rails and abutment, the rails being arranged in the path of travel of the tappet whereby move ment of the plunger-r0d is effected in opposition to its weight-control to cause the gates to swing open.

3. In a swinging bridge having a tappet disposed adjacent to its end, an abutment with which the bridge is adapted to register, andswinging gates carried by the abutment; the combination of a single pinion in link connection with the gates, a plunger-bar provided with a rack section for engagement with the pinion, a rear guide for the plunger-bar, a bracket through which the forward end of the plunger-bar extends,

the plunger, whereby the latter is operated in the opposite direction to close the gates. In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin in the presence of two witnesses.

CASPER FAUST. Witnesses:

MAY DOWNEY, GEO. W. YOUNG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five centseach, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. i 

